Different
by trunks111
Summary: Haku. Shonen-ai. Highschool junior. Hated generally. Virtually friendless. Unafriad.
1. Chapter 1

He pulled on his baggy dark blue jeans, frowning down at them. They were too big, but he couldn't buy more, his adoptive parents didn't have enough extra money. Next, he pulled his pale purple shirt over his head, reaching behind his head and beneath his shirt to fan out his hair, it cascaded down between his shoulder blades. He sat upon his bed to pull his plain gray socks on, and jammed his feet into his shoes, bending to tie them before wandering into the bathroom that was across the hall from his room.  
He gazed at himself only for a moment. His black hair was glossy, long, framing his pale, beautiful face, his brown eyes were full of a sadness that never seemed to fade. His plain black choker stood out starkly upon his pale neck, a brief smile crossed his features.  
After brushing his teeth, he returned to his room for his pack, a simple tan messenger bag.

He wasn't looking forward to school. He was secure in who he was, it was the others who judged and hated him for everything he was. He didn't fit in with the guys, because he was gentle. He didn't fit in with the girls because he was prettier than they were. He largely sat and worked alone. His intelligence didn't help either, being at the top of the class with Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga. There was another, who if he wasn't around, people would crack jokes about, Gaara Sabaku. He was very quiet, deep voiced, a genius really, but his temper was legendary.

They were similar in few ways. The red head's feelings though, were a mystery, his face was always blank, his eyes flat.  
And so, Haku sat alone on the bus. At lunch. He had no real friends to speak of.

There was one boy..., who tried, at least. Naruto Uzumaki. A very friendly, if slightly dim-witted blond. They had spoken on a few occasions. Naruto had actually taken to coming to the quiet, older boy for academic help. He wanted to learn, but he simply didn't understand how the teachers explained things.

One day, when Naruto came to lunch for help, Haku noticed he had a black eye and his nose was bloody.  
"What happened to you?" His question was quiet but it sliced through Naruto like a needle.

The blond jumped, keeping his eyes down at his paper.  
"Some guys were bad mouthing you and I told them to shut up."

Haku was shocked that Naruto would defend him but he let the matter drop, focusing on the assignments the blond needed help with today.

As their session drew to a close, Haku finally asked, "What were they saying?"

"That you were a girl. That you were gay. That you were a freak," Naruto mumbled as he returned his things to his backpack.

"I see...," Haku muttered.  
"Thank you for defending me though Naruto," Haku offered a smile to the blond, who saw it and flushed pink.

"Would you mind telling me who was saying those things?" Haku asked, his smile turning a tad bit cruel.

The blond froze an instant, he'd never seen Haku smile..., let alone smile like that.

"I-it was Kin, Shino, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba."

"See you tomorrow," Haku told him as he brushed by the now shaking blond.  
All those who had been talking were sitting at a table together. He saw them. He hoped Naruto would go off, and not see what was about to transpire.

He stopped at the head of their table. Their conversations slowly came to a stop and Sasuke was the one to address him.  
"What do you want Freak?"

Haku grabbed the Uchiha by the collar of his shirt, lifting him from his seat, leaning in close, their noses centimeters away.  
"If you have something to say about me, say it to my face."

The Uchiha had paledand then he was dropped.

"The same goes for the rest of you," an icy glare swept the speechless table, then he walked away, the whole cafeteria had gone silent, the bell the loudest sound a moment after Haku had left the room.  
No one moved however, still in shock over what had happened. Gaara was the first to leave the room. Then Naruto. Slowly the other students began talking again, trickling out and to their respective classes.

Haku sat alone, in the back of chemistry. Gaara was the second student to enter, instead of taking his seat that was across the room from the other boy, he took the seat beside him. His normal expression was gone, replaced by a slightly crooked smile.

"That was... Entertaining."

Haku flicked a glance over, Gaara had returned to facing forward.

"I do try," he responded with a smirk of his own.

A smile tugged at Gaara's lips, but no more words were shared between the two as students began filing in. Gaara's seat wasn't challenged, the student who usually sat there, taking Gaara's old seat instead.

He was walking to his bus when he saw them. The ones from lunch. Probably hoping to outnumber him. He kept his face smooth, walking towards unfalteringly.  
A hand was placed on his chest. He looked up into the angry eyes of Sasuke Uchiha.

"Despite your misconeptions of gay people, just because you are male does not mean I wish to sleep with you."

Sasuke flinched away, his cheeks flaming, a few of his friends snickered before Kiba strode forward, joining his friend.

"Same goes to you Inuzuka," a cold smile offered as Kiba's fist flew by where his head had been seconds before. Haku grabbed his wrist, wrenching him forward, into his fist, the smaller boy flung the taller into Sasuke as Kin charged him. He uppercutted her chin with the heel of his hand before stepping around her and simply gripping Sakura by the arms and moving her aside to continue on his way to the bus. Shino making no move after seeing what happened.

They wouldn't admit to getting beat up by him, so he wouldn't get suspended. But he silently stared out the window as the bus finally began moving.

Just another day. Albeit, slightly different, but still, just another day.


	2. Ally

Laying in the near silence of his room, his thoughts his only company. He dug his iPod out of his pocket, setting it to play softly.  
Even if they didn't entirely know why they hated him, he knew why. He was Different. He was genetically male but he was female on the inside. A girl.

Soft, kind, gentle, fierce.

For all he appeared male, it was just an illusion. He had told no one because he had no one to tell. His foster parents were too busy for him, he had no real friends. There was Naruto of course, the boy had a heart of gold. But..., for some reaosn, he couldn't bring himself to care about that. About any of it really. It was as if all his emotions were nothing. Nothing substantial. None of it mattered, did it?

So what? He was really a girl. So? It wasn't like anyone knew or cared. It wasn't like anyone was going to know or care. Pointless thoughts that led to nothing but sadness. For all he appeared cold and heartless, he was truly the most gentle soul. He was simply as the world made him. Uncaring, unfeeling, devoid of emotions because eventually, they would all leave anyway. Anyone who claimed to care, they would eventually leave.

It made him impossibly tired to think about it all. His body felt leaden. It was a struggle just for his eyes to remain open, gazing up at the white ceiling. Street Dreams by Hollywood Undead began to play as he lay there, drifting, halfway between conciousness and unconciousness.

Sleep, it called to him. But what would that bring but more nightmares? A nightmare awake, a nightmare of sleep. There was no peace in this life. He knew that. So why then, did he see fit to continue on each day? Some deluded hope of a better tomorrow?  
A ghost of a smile was on his lips.

He knew why.

Despite everything he had been shown, he still believed. Believed someone, somewhere could and would love him for everything he was. He still hoped, because something, some unnameable force made him continue to believe it despite everything that said otherwise.

He would continue to believe. Continue to pretend he was all right. Continue to pretend he was as cold and unfeeling as the rest of them. Because someday, someone would see past it all. See him for who he is. A girl trapped in the body of a boy, emotionally scarred, held together through sheer force of will. Despite all the cracks, all the things that threatened to break him, despite everything, that one person would love him and be there for him. It was crazy, but that's what love is, isn't it?

Eventually, he managed to sit up. He dug around in his bag for a little bit, finally extracting his homework folder. Not much, just some math and chemistry. He finished both in an hour, laying back down when he was finished. He rolled on to his side. Deciding to nap before he went to make himself dinner.

Waking a few hours later, he rubbed at his eyes as he sat up. Nothing had changed, it was only dark out. He padded silently to the kitchen and made himself a couple of sandwiches. He carried them back to his room and ate as his iPod continued to play. He drank a strawberry flavored soda after his meal and plugged in his iPod, listening to Frozen Oceans by Shiny Toy Guns.

Awake for a while, he took his book from his bag and began to read. An hour and a half passing before he finished what was left and put a new book in his bag for the next day at school.  
He laid back down, eventually falling into another nightmare. This one so vivid, yet gone when he awoke.  
Needless to say, he was still tired when he woke. Even so, he showered and dressed. The same jeans from yesterday and a dark green Rise Against shirt. It fit him well, completely covering his torso and clinging just slightly to his upper chest and arms. He had a breakfast of cereal before going back to brush his teeth and then to putting his shoes on.

"Another day," he muttered as he slung his bag over his shoulders.

He sat alone on the bus.  
For all the day seemed just like every other day, there was one small but major difference. Every class he shared with Gaara, Gaara now sat beside him. Even at lunch, Gaara sat at the same table. He did not acknowledge Naruto's prescence when the blond joined them, nor did he interrupt their normal study session.

Gaara didn't utter a single word until the third day.  
"Why is it you help him?"

His voice, so quiet with a slight rasp. It made him flush, a cold chill, but an intense excitement as well.  
"He asked. He is honest. He has stood up for me without being asked or told to do so. ...He is different." Haku answered, his voice level, as friendly as it ever was, tinged with slight wonder.

Gaara said nothing more to him that day.

"Why is it they hate us?"

Gaara posed the question the next day at lunch, speaking not only to Haku, but also to Naruto.

Naruto was silent, obviously giving the question some thought. Haku, knew the answer of course. His brown eyes met the cold seafoam green of Gaara's.

"Because we are different. On some level, we are not like they are and they despise that. We are unafraid. Different. Intelligent. Dangerous. Golden. Take your pick. But they hate what they do not understand. It has always been thus."

A smirk tugged at the red head's lips but he repressed it.

"It seems we are not so different."

Volumes passed between them. Their locked eyes. Understanding of what could be.

All of it, however, lost on the blond who had abandoned thinking instead, focusing on his lunch.  
The other two also turned their attention to their lunches. Despite not having an appetite, knowing that food was necessary, they forced down what they could before having to return to class.  
As always, singled out, made fun of, laughed at.

New rumors began to fly.  
Haku and Gaara. Dating. Fucking. A teacher caught them in the act but was too scared to suspend them. And so much more.  
Glares from them both shut them up for a while at least, but always new rumors began or old, whichever. Annoyances to both regardless.

Stupidity to Naruto.  
Ignorance to Haku.  
Idiocy to Gaara. 


End file.
